Background
Born in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, he was a son of the notable organ builder Eberhard Friedrich Walcker (1794-1872) and his second wife Marie Stumpp. In 1864, he apprenticed with his father and worked on the organs of the Reformed Churches in Mulhouse, France and Glarus, Switzerland, as well as the German Reformed Church in Saint St. Petersburg, Russia.